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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580457">Unlikely Comfort</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaggedwolf/pseuds/jaggedwolf'>jaggedwolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Strange Case of Starship Iris (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ficlet, Gen, Grief/Mourning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2019-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2019-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:21:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580457</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaggedwolf/pseuds/jaggedwolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Their second day at the new place, Former Agent Liu says, “I’m sorry. About Craddock.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thasia &amp; Other Violet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unlikely Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>

Dwarnian funerals are week-long affairs, events partitioned by who may attend - the sub-clan, then the clan, and finally other Dwarnians. They are shaped by both the individual's family and chosen profession. A story is told of their strongest attributes, and for each attribute one of the living steps forward, promising to do their best to live up to it as the deceased would.<br/>
<br/>
Former Agent Craddock's funeral is a burned body, hastily packed bags and a move to a new safehouse. Former Agent Liu takes care of most of it. Thasia watches silently, still too weak to be of much use.<br/>
<br/>
Their second day at the new place, Former Agent Liu says, "I'm sorry. About Craddock."</p>
<p>
The words are stilted. They are not insincere.<br/>
<br/>
"I am sorry for your loss as well, Former Agent Liu," Thasia responds.<br/>
<br/>
Former Agent Liu flinches at that, and then pretends not to have. She would not have made that mistake before Craddock's death. She hadn't been unkind, merely impassive, but now there is a thin crack along her. It is so tangible that Thasia could trace it with a finger.<br/>
<br/>
Thasia sinks back into the couch. They marvel at the softness of it against them, how unlike unyielding glass it is. Their eyes are greedy for the sight of what is, by all accounts, an ordinary residence. These are things Former Agent Craddock will never feel or see again.<br/>
<br/>
"So," says Former Agent Liu, her voice slow. Hesitant. "If you...want to talk more about it - your time with the IGR, Craddock - you can. Know I'm not the most comforting option, but I'll listen. Craddock was always better at that." She winces.<br/>
<br/>
Former Agent Craddock is with the stars now. Former Agent Liu is on this couch with them. One day, Thasia will ask her about Former Agent Craddock. About who she became while Thasia was imprisoned.<br/>
<br/>
Today, they go into more detail about the IGR's experiments. Former Agent Liu might find something useful in that. She does. She also interrupts Thasia telling of the story, reassigning blame from them and bad luck to the IGR or other Dwarnians. Her opinions are blunt. Unrelenting.<br/>
<br/>
They tilt their head at her. It is curious, seeing someone angry on their behalf. It feels like a memory of a memory.<br/>
<br/>
Thasia doesn't know how to be angry at what happened to them. Maybe, with Former Agent Liu's help, they could learn.<br/>
</p>
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